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Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a financial aid program that can help you pay for college.

How to Apply  Confirmation of Enrolment  Repayment  Maintaining OSAP 

OSAP Eligibility

To be eligible for OSAP a student (or their parents/spouse/sponsor) must have been a resident of Ontario for at least 12 months to the beginning of the study period applied for and not be enrolled in full-time postsecondary studies during this 12-month period.  

A student also must:

  • Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada (landed immigrant or a protected person)
  • Have applied for an approved postsecondary program
  • Be enrolled in a minimum of 60 per cent of a full course load (40 per cent for students with a with a disability documented with the Department of Accessible Learning Services)

The amount of funding students are eligible for depends on education costs (e.g. tuition and books), living costs, expected personal financial contribution and family support/parental income. For an estimation of the grant and/or loan amount students are eligible for, use the Aid Estimator Tool on the OSAP website.

How to Apply for OSAP

  • Apply for OSAP online at www.ontario.ca/osap. Ensure all information is accurate.
  • Submit all of your required supporting documentation. You can submit online via your OSAP application, or on campus in the Financial Aid Office dropbox.
    • Typical documentation for 1st time submissions include but are not limited to:
      • Signature Pages (student & parent)
      • Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) *more information about MSFAA located further below*
  • Verify all your outstanding requirements have been satisfied (check your status by logging into your OSAP account online).
  • The Financial Aid Office will Confirm Your Enrollment, no earlier than 15 days prior to the start of your study period.
  • Funds will be deposited electronically by the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) directly to your Humber account toward the balance of tuition fees and any remaining amount will be deposited into your bank account in the first two weeks of your study period (as long as you have followed the above steps and have submitted your application 1 month prior to classes starting).
  • You can manage your student loan through your National Student Loans Service Centre Services account. Additional information can be found in the section below.
Apply Online for OSAP 

How to Calculate Your Course Load

To be confirmed for full-time OSAP funding, students are required to remain enrolled in a minimum 60 per cent of a 100 per cent course load during their OSAP-funded study period (or minimum 40 per cent of a 100 per cent course load for students with a permanent disability).

  1. Log in to MyHumber > Student > Academic Progress;
  2. Review the courses required for your semester and the credits per course by hovering over or clicking on each course code;
  3. Add the credits per course to find the total number of credits required for the semester.
    1. If you register for every course, you will be enrolled in a 100 per cent course load.
    2. If you do not enrol in every course, only add up the credits for each course in which you are registered. Divide that amount by the total number of credits required for the semester to find your course load percentage.

Example 1:

If a semester requires six (6) courses and each course is three (3) credits, the total number of credits for the semester will be 18. If you enrol in four (4) courses, you will be registered for 12 out of 18 credits. This means you have a 66 per cent course load and are considered eligible for full-time OSAP funding.

Example 2:

If a semester requires six (6) courses and five (5) of the courses are three (3) credits and one is six (6) credits, the total number of credits for the semester will be 21. If you enrol in four (4) courses worth three (3) credits each, you will be registered for 12 out of 21 credits. This means you have a 57 per cent course load and would not be eligible for full-time OSAP funding, unless you are a student with a permanent disability.

Courses Credits Per Course
Course 1 3 credits
Course 2 3 credits
Course 3 3 credits
Course 4 3 credits
Course 5 3 credits
Course 6 3 credits
Total
4 courses 12 credits (12/18 = 66%)
Courses Credits Per Course
Course 1 3 credits
Course 2 3 credits
Course 3 3 credits
Course 4 3 credits
Course 5 3 credits
Course 6 6 credits
Total
4 courses 12 credits (12/21 = 57%)

Your course load will impact your full-time or part-time status for OSAP purposes. For any questions or if you are unsure about how to calculate your course load, please contact finaid@humber.ca.

male looking at a laptop

Student Lines of Credit 

In addition to applying for government loans and grants, you can also explore the student line of credit options available at most major Canadian financial institutions.

Learn More 

OSAP Application Terms and Best Practices

Here are some other important OSAP application terms and best practices that you should keep in mind:

To be considered an Ontario resident, you must meet one of the following residency criteria:

  • You have always resided in Ontario, or
  • Ontario is the last province you resided in for 12 consecutive months without being a full-time post-secondary student, or
  • You live in Ontario now and have lived in Canada for less than 12 months in a row.

In certain circumstances, you can meet Ontario residency requirements on the basis of the residency of your spouse or parent(s) (if applicable).

When reporting income for January to December, remember to give the breakdown of that total for the following three periods:

  • January to April
  • May to August
  • September to December

When reporting income for your study period, you must include your total estimated income for the entire study period (e.g. September to April), not just one term.

"Dependent" means that you:

  • Are single (you have never married or been in a common-law relationship)
  • Have no children
  • Wish to return to full-time post-secondary studies less than two years since graduating from high school
  • Have been out of high school for less than four years before the start of your study period

When completing the parental income section, students must use the figures from their parents' Income Tax Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

To prevent OSAP loan overpayments and Income Verification Restriction, students must report their income accurately on the OSAP application and any income/status changes during the academic year to the Financial Aid Office.

Current and former individuals in Extended Society Care (previously known as Crown Wards) and other youth 21-24 years old who left the care of a Children’s Aid Society may be eligible for a Living and Learning Grant. This grant provides additional funds above the regular full-time OSAP aid limits.

You’re automatically considered for this grant when you submit an OSAP Application for Full-Time Students. Supporting documents may be required to confirm your eligibility. The required documents are outlined when you submit your application.

Individuals 18 to 24 years old as of the start of their study period who were in Extended Society Care with an Ontario Children’s Aid Society and were adopted on or after August 1, 2013, may also be eligible. Contact the financial aid office for details on the review process to be considered for this grant.

National Student Loans Service Centre

When you receive OSAP funding, your loan is managed through the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC).

Students must register for an NSLSC account to manage their student loan.

To register, go to www.csnpe-nslsc.canada.ca.

Services available through your NSLSC account include:

  • Funding Confirmation messages
  • Updated End of Study Date messages
  • Period of Study End Date Reminder messages

  • T4A Tax Slips
  • Your Loan Statement
  • Income Tax Receipt (for interest paid on your loans)

If you are not receiving OSAP funding for a study period, submit a Continuation of Interest-Free Status (CIFS) on your OSAP account so that your loan(s) remain interest-free while you study.

  • Email address
  • Mailing address
  • Other contact information

Increase or decrease your monthly payment amount.

If you have been out of post-secondary studies for more than 6 months and are not able to make repayments, you can apply for the Repayment Assistance Plan (RSP). If you qualify for the RAP, you will have reduced or no monthly payments for up to six months at a time.

Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA)

The federal and provincial governments have implemented a lifetime loan agreement that will cover the student for the duration of their time enrolled in full-time postsecondary studies. This lifetime loan agreement is called the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA). Students can submit their MSFAA online. Please note that students who have already completed a paper MSFAA in past do not need to complete a new one online.

Make sure to check your OSAP account for information about this required document. The National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) will send a message when it is time for you to register for your online account and complete your MSFAA.

Confirmation of Enrolment Form

Confirmation of Enrollment for full-time students will begin no earlier than 15 days prior to the study period start date of each respective term. Students must ensure that their applications are completed in full at least 1 month prior to their study period start date, to avoid any delay in funding.

If you are a full-time student but do not want to take OSAP funding or are ineligible for OSAP funding due to restrictions, you may be eligible to be interest and payment free from your previous OSAP loans, for the duration of your full-time program at Humber College.

In order to do this, you will need to submit a Continuation of Interest-Free Status (CIFS) request online via your OSAP portal or you can also submit a paper application. The form can be found on the OSAP website and submitted to the Financial Aid Office once complete.

Online and paper applications will be processed by the Financial Aid Office in the order in which they are received.

Login to OSAP  Contact the Financial Aid Office 

OSAP Repayment Webinars

If you have received OSAP anytime during your study period(s), this OSAP Repayment Webinar is for you!

Here you will get information about:

  • Debt Management
  • Debt Reduction
  • Repayment Options
  • Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)
  • Interest Free Periods

Visit the NSLSC Youtube channel or click the following link to view the webinar: https://players.brightcove.net/2456793370001/uqkGU5crh_default/index.html?videoId=5859486027001

Important reminders:

  • It is your responsibility to contact the National Student Loan Service Centre to let them know what your student status is and to consolidate your loan. It is very important that you keep in contact with your lender.
  • You should asking what you need to do in order to keep your record in good standing with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD) and your lender.
  • To maintain or build good credit, you must keep your OSAP file up to date.

Maintaining OSAP

Full-time OSAP Eligibility Requirements (Satisfactory Academic Progress)

To maintain full-time OSAP eligibility, students are required to:

  1. Remain enrolled in a minimum 60 per cent of a 100 per cent course load during their OSAP-funded study period (or minimum 40 per cent of a 100 per cent course load for students with a documented permanent disability).*

  2. Pass a minimum 60 per cent of a 100 per cent course load during their OSAP-funded study period (or minimum 40 per cent course load for students with a documented permanent disability).*

  3. Report any changes to your study period income estimate in writing to Financial Aid.

  4. Notify Financial Aid of any changes to your student status (e.g. changes to course load, withdrawing, etc.). Include your Humber student number on all correspondence.

You may be on Academic Probation for OSAP purposes if you were issued OSAP funding and did not maintain satisfactory academic progress for OSAP purposes for one or more of the reasons below:

  1. Your course enrollment dropped below the required minimum 60 percent of a 100 percent course load during your OSAP-funded study period (or 40 percent for students with a documented permanent disability)*,
  2. You did not pass a minimum 60 percent of a 100 percent course load during your OSAP-funded study period (or 40 percent for students with a documented permanent disability)*,
  3. You have changed your program of study too many times without earning a credential, or

At a previous institution, you were issued OSAP funding and did not maintain satisfactory academic progress.Academic progress for OSAP purposes is reviewed for each student at the end of each OSAP study period. Your academic progress standing is based strictly on the course load percentage of courses in which you have earned a passing grade during your OSAP study period; your OSAP academic progress is not based on your grade point average (GPA). The OSAP academic progress policy may differ from your Humber faculty academic progress policy.

For the first instance of academic probation, you will receive a warning. You can complete the OSAP Acknowledgement of Academic Probation Form found on the OSAP site and along with a letter explaining your academic goals, the circumstances that affected your academic progress, and the steps you will take to improve your academic progress and achieve your goals. Upload the form and letter as supporting documents to your OSAP application as well as your most recent transcript, if required. If you had medical or extenuating circumstances, explain this in your letter and attach supporting documentation.

For the second instance of academic probation, you may be restricted from receiving OSAP funding. For more information, please contact a financial aid advisor at finaid@humber.ca.

*A student’s minimum course load required for OSAP purposes may vary by semester within a program. The minimum course load percentage you must enrol in and pass is calculated based on the total credits associated with your enrolled semester. You must meet the above OSAP Requirements to maintain funding eligibility. Review how to calculate your course load in the tab above or contact Financial Aid at finaid@humber.ca or 416.675.6622 ext. 4245 (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm excluding holidays) if you are unsure about your course load calculation.